Device for cleaning the grooves and lips on can openings and lids



Sept. 22, 1953 c MCCROBA 2,652,582

DEVICE FOR CLIEANING THE GROOVES AND LIPS ON CAN OPENINGS AND LIDS FiledOct 6, 1951 CHARLES MC CROBA BY 75:44.; I 7 2.,

ATTORNEYS patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES A;

TENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR CLEANING THE'GROOVES AND LIPS ON CAN OPENINGS ANDLIDS 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a cleaning tool, and particularly to acleaning tool for cleaning out the grooves of paint cans and the like,and also for cleaning the lips extending around the lids for the canswhereby the cans can be tightly closed after having been opened.

In many shops, garages and the like, a great many paint jobs are carriedout which require less than a full can of paint, or else a large can ofpaint may be opened and only a portion thereof used, the purchase of thelarge can being dictated by reasons of economy. In any case, it ispractically impossible to use paint from a can, or to remove ittherefrom without some paint getting into the grooves about the top ofthe can in which a mating tongue on the lid is adapted for seating inorder to seal the can. Further, paints are many times shaken to bringthem to a state of complete mixture by violently shaking the can whilethe lid is still in position.

Under these circumstances, there is a film of paint on the lid whichwill run down on the sealing tongue when the lid is removed.

Due to the fact that the paint on the sealing tongue of the lid and onthe groove about the top of the can is in the form of a fairly thin filmit tends to dry out rapidly and after only a short time it will be foundthat it is not possible to replace the lid on the can in tight sealingengagement.

Paints and varnishes include highly Volatile thinners and driers andeven the smallest openlng between the lid and the can will permitevaporation of the ingredients from the material within the can, therebycausing a change in the composition of the finish which might make itunsuitable for application without modification, or even entirelyunsuitable for use.

In certain instances this evaporation could lead to the formation of afilm on top of the finish remaining in the can, which not onlyrepresents a waste, but is not always easy to remove in its entirety andbecause of which there might be small particles left in the finish whichwould detract from any job on which the finish Was employed.

Having the foregoing in mind, the primary object of the presentinvention is to provide a cleaning tool especially adapted for cleaningthe grooves about the top of a paint can or the like, and also forcleaning the tongue extending about the lid of the can.

Another object of this invention is to make a tool of the type referredto above which is readily adjustable to substantially any size ofcommercial container. v

A still further object is the provision of a tool of the naturedescribed which is rapid in operation and which is extremely simple touse.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent uponreference to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a plan view looking down on top or" the cleaning tool,according to my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the tool;

Figure 3 is an end view thereof looking in from the right end of Figure2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a part of the tool bymeans of which it can be locked in its adjusted positions; and

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified arrangement of thetool.

Referrin to the drawings somewhat more in detail, the tool of thisinvention comprises a guide element IE! and a scraping element l2supported for adjustment relative to each other so that guide element Itcan engage the edge of a can or lid While the scraping element ispositioned to engage the sealing surface of the can or lid at adiametrically opposite point.

Numerous arrangements can be devised for adjustably supporting elementsit and E2 in the described manner, but my preferred arranbement consistsof mounting element ill adjacent the end of a bar M and which bar ispreferably hollow for reasons of economy and in order to lighten thetool, while the element I2 is mounted on another hollow member itsurroundin bar it and within which the said bar is slidable.

Member i6 is preferably open as at it along at least a part of its lowersurface in order to expose bar i i. A cam lock 28 having a handle 22 ispivoted as by bolt 24 between a pair of ears 26 dependent from the sidesof member it in the region of the aperture i B. This cam lock iseiiective, when handle 22 is moved upwardly to its Figure 2 position, tolock members i l and it rigidly together.

Guide element ill preferably consists of an arcuate portion 28 extendingvertically downwardly from beneath bar M and having a plate iii) securedto the bottom surface thereof which is arcuate along both edges andwhich projects both forwardly and backwardly from plate it. By thisarrangement the plate 353 can be engaged beneath the flange about theopening of a can to be cleaned, and the overhanging end of bar M willprevent the tool from becoming disen- 3 gaged from the said flange. Theend of bar I4 and plate 30 together with arcuate portion 28 of the guideelement form a guide notch for receiving the edge about the opening of acan to be cleaned.

With guide element l so engaged with the fiange of the paint can, member[6 is moved along bar 14 until the proper one of the several shapedscraping surfaces 32 formed thereon is aligned with the surface to becleaned. Thereafter, bar l4 and member IB are locked together byoperation of lever 22, and the cleanin of the surface can take place byholding the end of the cleaning tool in one hand while rotating the canby the other hand. In order to facilitate the cleaning of the surface,the shaped scraping portions 32 of scraping element [2 are preferablysomewhat relieved by beveling as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, but itwill be understoodthat this particular feature is not essential to theoperation of the tool.

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the scraping element I2 is mountedon one side of member I 6, and in order to provide for the propercutting action for both directions of rotation of the can being cleaned,the said scraping element preferably has other formed'surfaces thereonas at 33 along the upper edge so that the tool can be used asillustrated in full lines in Figure 2, by a left-handed person and for aright-handed person, the bar I 4 is removed and rotated on its axis by180 and then reinserted in member 16 so that guide element I0 occupiesthe dot-dash position illustrated in Figure 2.

For cleaning. can lids, the outermost edge of plate can be availed of toprovide a guiding of the tool about the can lid by engaging the insideof the tongue of the canlid. However, a preferred practice is to insertthe edge of the can lid behind plate 28 on the scraping element sidethereof and between the rear part of plate 30 and bar [4, and whichpositioning of the can lid, because of the guide notch between bar l4and plate 30, will prevent its becoming dislodged from the cleaning toolduring a cleaning operation.

In Figure 5, I illustrate a modification havin certain advantageousfeatures in that the cleaning element consists of a T-shaped member 40dependent from the outer portion 42 of the handle which has slidablymounted therein, the inner portion 44 having secured thereto the guideelement 46 in the same manner described in connection with guide elementI0 and bar I4.

T-shaped member 40 has a central dependent leg 43 on the center line ofmember 42 and the lower edge of this leg has shaped portions 50 adaptedfor engagement with the surfaces to be cleaned.

The Figure 5 modification can be used in all instances that the firstmodification can be used and is adapted for either right or left-handedoperation without adjustment.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modificationin order to adapt it to difierent usages and conditions, andaccordingly, it is desired to comprehendsuch modifications within thisinvention as mayfall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cleaning tool of the nature described; handle means comprising apair of telescopic members, a guide element secured adjacent the end ofone of said members and comprising a plate dependent therefrom andarcuate in the direction of its length and having a plate arcuate inoutline secured to the lower edge thereof, a scraper element secured tothe other part of the handle comprising a fiat plate extending in thedirection of the length of the handle and having at least one edgeshaped to form scraping surfaces thereon, and means for clamping theparts of said handle in any desired position of telescopic adjustment.

2. In a cleaning tool of the nature described; a hollow outer handlepart, an inner handle part slidable within the said outer handle part, acurved plate secured adjacent one end of said inner handle part andprojecting downwardly therefrom, a fiat plate arcuate in outline securedbetween its side edges to the bottom edge of said curved plate, therebyforming a guide element defining guide notches with said inner handlepart on opposite sides of said curved plate, a scraping element securedto said outer handle part, and having a part dependent from said outerhandlepart with its edge formed to define a.plurality of cleaning edgesadapted for engagement with the grooves of paint cans and with thetongues of the lids thereof, and means for clamping said handle parts inany desired position of telescopic adjustment.

3. In a cleaning tool of the nature described; a hollow outer handlepart, an inner handle part slidable within the said outer handle part, acurved plate secured adjacent one end of said inner handle part andprojecting therefrom at right angles to the axis of the handle part, afiat plate arcuate in outline secured between its edges to the bottomedge of saidcurved plate, thereby forming a guide element defining guidenotches with said inner-handle part on opposite sides of the curvedplate, ascraping element. secured to said outer handle part, and havinga portion dependent fro m said outer handle part with its edge formed todefine a plurality of cleaning edges adapted for engagement with thegrooves of paint cans and with the tongues of the lids thereof, andmeans for clamping saidhandle partsin any desired position of telescopicadjustment, said scraping element being secured to one, side of saidouter handle part and also having a portion extending upwardly from thesaid outer handle part having its edge formed to the same shape as theedge of the portion that is dependent from said outer handle part.

4. In a cleaning tool of the nature described; a hollow outer handlepart, an inner handle part slidable withinv the said outer handle part,a

curved plate secured adjacent one end of said inner handle part andprojecting downwardly therefrom, a flat plate arcuate in outline securedto the bottom edge of said curved plate, thereby forming a guide elementdefining guide notches with said inner handle part, a scraping elementsecured to said outer handle part, and having a leg dependent from saidouter handle part with its edge formed to define a plurality of cleaningedges adapted for engagement with the grooves of paint cans and with thetongues of the lids thereof, and means for clamping said handle parts inany desired position of telescopic adjustment, said cleaning elementcomprising a T-shaped member secured to the underneath side of saidouter handle part.

5. In a cleaning tool of the nature described; a tubular outer handlepart, an inner handle part slidable within said outer handle part, a,curved plate secured to said inner handle part inwardly from one endthereof and projecting downwardly therefrom, a fiat plate secured to thebottom edge of said curved plate and projecting both forwardly andbackwardly therefrom and being arcuate in outline whereby said platesform a guide element defining notches on both sides thereof with thesaid inner handle part for engagement with the outer periphery of a lidto be cleaned or for engagement with the inner periphery of the flangeabout the opening of a can to be cleaned, a scraping element secured tosaid outer handle part and having a portion dependent therefrom with anedge formed to define a plurality of cleaning edges adapted forengagement with the grooves of paint cans or with the tongues of thelids thereof, and means for clamping said handle parts in any desiredposition of telescopie adjustment.

CHARLES MCCROBA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10Number Name Date 371,652 Witherell Oct. 18, 1887 988,807 Poetz Apr. 4,1911 2,109,857 Berkman Mar. 1, 1938

